Pressure's on the mayor

Between the Lines

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The postcard invitation from the Greater Colorado Springs Chamber of
Commerce told us everything we needed to know, and more: State of the
City annual luncheon, Tuesday, June 2, Antlers Hilton, with a No. 1
blue ribbon alongside the message: "Participate in celebrating our
city's successes!"

That was worth a chuckle. Another sentence on the card brought
plenty of laughter: "Keynote speaker Mayor Lionel Riveral will
update us on the city's progress and challenges."

The typo was theirs, not mine. Riveral, not Rivera.
Unintentional, yet fitting.

Almost everything about our city government is a mess, exemplified
nicely by the parks and their locked-up bathrooms. Downtown, there's
the unsightly mix of dirt, spotty grass and dandelions outside the
Pioneers Museum, which won't impress the countless busloads of tour
groups who visit each summer.

Bus service cuts have disrupted many lives. Potholes, already
everywhere, are becoming more numerous, along with the neglected
streets and intersections in dire need of simple repairs and/or
resurfacing.

You could say the city is crumbling before our eyes, now with $23
million more in budget cuts for 2010 (farewell, Parks and Rec) —
and we haven't even started talking about the deal to keep the U.S.
Olympic Committee in town.

Ah, but we have so many successes to cheer, right? Let's just bury
our heads a little deeper into the sand until the storm blows over.

If that's going to be the theme again, why bother spending $30 or
$40 (depending on whether you're a Chamber member) just for some meat
and potatoes, then a frickin' pep rally? We don't need to be propped up
one more time. We need a large dose of straight talk.

Last year at this time, amid increasing signs of economic problems,
my suggestion for Mayor Rivalry ... Ripsnorter ... Rivera was to
discuss new ideas such as the city and county sharing services and
people.

Instead, it was more rah-rah stuff, just like high school. "We've
got spirit, yes we do. We've got spirit, how about you?" Funny that
after the sharing idea was pooh-poohed last year, now the city and
county are looking into exactly that.

Please, Mayor Riviera ... Rubella ... Rivera, don't waste everyone's
time again. We don't give a red-rock damn about which magazine made us
No. 1 or 100 in anything related to quality of life, surely based on
information from before all the cutbacks.

We need the real State of the City. And this is your best
chance, Mr. Mayor. Who knows, perhaps your last chance. We won't
remember much from your first six years. But the final two years
— if you complete this final term, of course — will be
different, either way.

This is the best opportunity you'll have, Mayor Rigatoni ...
Ricochet ... Rivera, to convince hundreds of civic and business leaders
that you have good solutions. This is the moment for you to tell us
what we might expect in specific cuts, and how you and City Council
will end the Olympic uncertainty. This is also the time to let everyone
know whether you'll be running next year for El Paso County Commission
in District 5, with Jim Bensberg term-limited.

Believe me, you'll get a lot more respect, and a sincere response,
if you tell it like it is. Explain some details of how you can settle
the Olympic deal, or not. Talk about what strategy Council might
consider for its own ballot issues, and opposing whatever Douglas
Bruce tries next, in the November election.

We realize many factors beyond your control have contributed to the
city's suffering, to the point of losing its equilibrium. We realize
the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights will prevent any kind of rapid recovery,
regardless of how the economy rebounds. We already know that your
successor, the next mayor of Colorado Springs, will face an even more
ominous challenge, trying to navigate the city toward new stability and
prosperity.

But unless you're giving up now, Mr. Mayor, this would be a good
time to put on your best dark suit, one of those starched-collar white
shirts and a neutral tie (in other words, no Olympic logos), and give
everyone the whole truth.

It would make Tuesday's lunch worth the trouble. Even without the
pep rally.